Apple: Kuo says Apple’s radio chip development “failed”

Kuo also told us that the new MacBook Air would use an M1, and not feature an M2. MacRumors has really hit the trifecta lately: Kuo, Digitimes, and Uncle Gurman. Oh, and toss in Max Tech, just in case that's not enough. We'd probably do just as well reading chicken bones, divining the future using a scrying pool, or consulting the Oracle of Delphi.
 
Colstan said:
Kuo also told us that the new MacBook Air would use an M1, and not feature an M2. MacRumors has really hit the trifecta lately: Kuo, Digitimes, and Uncle Gurman. Oh, and toss in Max Tech, just in case that's not enough. We'd probably do just as well reading chicken bones, divining the future using a scrying pool, or consulting the Oracle of Delphi.
Click to expand...

Yeah, for the last year or so Apple seems to really have plugged its supply chain leaks. Apple’s suppliers don’t even internally use the word “Apple.” Everything is code names. They are terrified of being kicked off the gravy train.
 
Kuo is backtracking, now saying that Apple will start shipping 5G modems with the iPhone SE 4. He is unsure about the iPhone 16.

www.macrumors.com

Kuo: New iPhone SE With 6.1-Inch OLED Display and Apple's 5G Chip Planned

Apple has restarted development of a fourth-generation iPhone SE with a 6.1-inch OLED display and an Apple-designed 5G chip, according to the latest...
www.macrumors.com www.macrumors.com

Qualcomm agrees, stating: "We expect that Apple will do their own modem in 2024, but if they need ours they know where to find us."

www.macrumors.com

Qualcomm CEO Expects Apple's 5G Chip to Start Rolling Out Next Year

Speaking at the MWC 2023 conference today, Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon said Apple's rumored 5G chip could be ready next year. "We expect...
www.macrumors.com www.macrumors.com
 
If Apple's modem chip performance exceeds (or at least equals) Qualcomm's, that would be a pretty significant feat. I think it would also mean that Apple is well-positioned going forward developing future modem/communication chips for upcoming products.
 
Citysnaps said:
If Apple's modem chip performance exceeds (or at least equals) Qualcomm's, that would be a pretty significant feat. I think it would also mean that Apple is well-positioned going forward developing future modem/communication chips for upcoming products.
Click to expand...
What's strange is that Gurman said in January that Apple was planning on doing its own Wifi chip for release in 2025, to replace Broadcom's silicon. A couple of weeks later, Kuo then said that Apple had halted those plans, and Gurman never did a followup. I have a hard time believing that a big development happened within those two weeks, so the question is who is right? Apple has gotten better about stopping leaks, but it results in a lot of confusion for those of us on the outside.
 
Colstan said:
What's strange is that Gurman said in January that Apple was planning on doing its own Wifi chip for release in 2025, to replace Broadcom's silicon. A couple of weeks later, Kuo then said that Apple had halted those plans, and Gurman never did a followup. I have a hard time believing that a big development happened within those two weeks, so the question is who is right? Apple has gotten better about stopping leaks, but it results in a lot of confusion for those of us on the outside.
Click to expand...

Broadcom is/was a pretty significant company (I haven't followed them in a long time). If Apple did indeed stop, I wonder if they stepped on some Broadcom patents and got called on it (assuming Broadcom somehow found out)?

I haven't been following that story.
 
Citysnaps said:
Broadcom is/was a pretty significant company (I haven't followed them in a long time). If Apple did indeed stop, I wonder if they stepped on some Broadcom patents and got called on it (assuming Broadcom somehow found out)?

I haven't been following that story.
Click to expand...
Definitely not a patent issue. Nobody does anything about patents until something is actually being shipped.

The rumor, if I remember correctly, was they pulled those folks off of the wifi to work on the cpu. I find that highly unlikely.
 
Must be kind of exhausting having people run stories all the time based on half-guesses and speculation, almost all of them wide of the mark. How does Apple respond without disclosing plans it wants to keep under wraps for various reasons?
 
Cmaier said:
The rumor, if I remember correctly, was they pulled those folks off of the wifi to work on the cpu. I find that highly unlikely.
Click to expand...
I believe Apple (allegedly) pulled staff to work on the modem, but that's likely reasonably close to completion if it's shipping early next year, so why would they shuffle engineers on a Wifi chip this late in the game?
 
Cmaier said:
Definitely not a patent issue. Nobody does anything about patents until something is actually being shipped.

The rumor, if I remember correctly, was they pulled those folks off of the wifi to work on the cpu. I find that highly unlikely.
Click to expand...

Is it possible Apple engineers ran into an insurmountable design roadblock where they couldn't get around a (known) Broadcom patent in order to move forward?

And would then need to either stop work or negotiate a license?
 

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